Massaging device



rates This invention relates generally to massaging devices.

Massaging devices of the character to which this invention relates haveheretofore been of complicated construction, consisting of a relativelylarge number of parts, secured together by fastening means, so that thesale of such devices at reasonable cost is inhibited by the relativelyhigh cost of manufacturing and assembling the parts.

Another disadvantage of such prior devices is that they are diflicult toclean and maintain in a sanitary condition.

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of amassaging device of the character described, which consists of a minimumnumber of parts, which can be quickly and easily assembled, and sold incommercially large quantities at a relatively low price.

Another object of the invention is to provide a massaging device of thecharacter described, in which ball-shaped members are incorporated,which can be quickly and easily assembled with the body of the device orholder without the use of extraneous fastening devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a massaging device ofthe character described, in which the ballshaped members can be quicklyand easily removed for the purpose of cleaning such members as well asother parts of the device, for the purpose of maintaining the device ina sanitary condition at all times.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a massaging deviceof the character described, embodying novel means for ejecting theball-shaped members.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during thecourse of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same,

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of the massaging device;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device, taken on the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the device will be seen tocomprise a holder or support consisting of a circular or disc-shapedbody 1 of substantial thickness, and a handle or manipulating member 2formed integrally with the body 1 and depending from the central portionof said body.

The body 1 is provided in its upper portion with a series ofcircunrferentiallyspaced sockets 3, shown here as five in number, theWalls of these sockets being of substantially hemispherical shape. Theentrance to each of these sockets is surrounded by an upstandingball-retaining flange 4, which is formed integrally with the body 1 andwhich tapers slightly in thickness from the bottom of the flange to thetop thereof. The inner surface 5 of each flange is of annular shape,being, in effect, a continuation of the walls of the sockets 3.

For a purpose to be presently described, the body 1 of the device isalso provided with a small protuberance or support 6 of hemisphericalcross-section, which extends upwardly into the center of each of thesockets 3.

The body, handle and ball-retaining flanges are thus made in one piece,so that the use of extraneous fastening devices for securing these partstogether is avoided, and these par-ts can be quickly and easily cleanedand maintained in a sanitary condition.

By molding these parts, in one piece, from a plastic material, such, forexample, as polypropylene, the upper 3,081,768 Patented Mar. 19, 1963portion of each of the flanges 4 has a slight degree of flexibility orresiliency, which is efiective to enable the ball-shaped members to bepresently described to be quickly and easily slipped or snapped into thesockets 3.

The device further consists of a series of ball-shaped members 7 one foreach of the sockets 3, and each preferably molded from the same plasticmaterial of which the body, handle and flanges are made.

In assembling the ba'll shaped members 7 with the body of the device,they may be quickly and easily pushed into the sockets 3 in the mannershown in FIG. 2. The ballshaped members 7 are of a diameter slightlymore than the inner diameter of the top of the flange 4, but due to theflexibility or resiliency of the upper portion of each flange, suchupper portion yields sufficiently to permit the ball-shaped members tobe pushed completely into the sockets, as shown in FIG. 2. However, assoon as the diametral or equatorial portion of the ball-shaped memberhas passed the top of the flange i, the flange resumes its normal shape,and securely holds the member 7 in the socket 3.

The balls or ball-shaped members 7 are freely revoluble in any directionin the sockets 3 and flanges 4, but in order to minimize the friction ofthe ball-shaped member against the walls of the sockets 3 and flanges 4,the balls, which are normally of substantially the same diameter as thewalls of the sockets 3 and inner walls of the flanges 4, are supportedby the protuberances 6, so that the surfaces of the balls are spacedslightly, as at 3, from such walls and out of contact with such walls.

A massaging device, as thus constructed, consists of a minimum number ofparts, which can be quickly and easily assembled and sold incommercially large quantities at a relatively low price. The ball-shapedmembers are quickly and easily assembled with the body of the device orholder, without the use of extraneous fastening devices.

The ball-shaped members can be quickly and easily removed, for thepurpose of cleaning such members as well as other parts of the device,to maintain the device in a clean, sanitary condition at all times. Inorder to facilitate such removal, the body 1 of the device is providedwith passageways 9, which extend vertically from the lower face of thebody 1 and through the centers of theprotuberances 6, so that a pin orrod (not shown) of small diameter can be passed through thesepassageways in a downward direction to thereby eject the balls 7 fromtheir sockets.

The massaging device, as described, i effective to pr0- duce a vigorousmassaging action on the human body. In this connection, it may be notedthat the use of five balls, arranged in closely-spaced circumferentialrelation ship, so that the vertical axes of the balls are disposed atthe five corners of a pentagon, is preferable to a smaller or largernumber of balls. This may be illustrated by the fact that such a numberand arrangement enables the device to be used on portions of the bodywhich are difl'icult of access, such, for example, as on the lipdirectly under the nose.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of partsthereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scopeof the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my inventon, I claim:

1. A massaging device comprising a handle, a body supported thereon,said body having circumferentiallyspaced sockets adapted to receiveball-shaped members, said body having upstanding annular flangesextending from said body and formed integrally with said body, andball-shaped members disposed in said sockets and retained in saidsockets by said flanges, said flanges being sufficiently flexible andresilient to yield to permit the ballshaped members to be pushed intothe sockets through the flanges, and to hold the ball-shaped members inthe sockets after being pushed thereinto, while permitting rotation ofsaid members in said sockets.

2. A massaging device, as defined in claim I, in which said flanges havea minimum internal diameter at their upper end which is less than thediameter of said ballshaped members.

-3. A massaging device, as defined in claim 2, including means formedintegrally with said body for supporting said ball-shaped members out ofcontact with the bottoms of said sockets.

4. A massaging device, as defined in claim 3, including passagewaysextending through said body and through said first-named means adaptedto permit insertion therethrough of means for ejecting said ball-shapedmembers from said sockets.

5. A massaging device comprising a. body having circumferentially-spacedsockets adapted to receive ballshaped members, said body havingupstanding annular flanges forming portions of the body and formedintegrally therewith and providing enclosures for said sockets, andball-shaped members disposed in said sockets and retained in saidsockets by the terminal portions of said flanges, said terminal portionsof said flanges being sufficiently flexible and resilient to permit theball-shaped members to be pushed into the sockets through said terminalportions of said flanges, and to hold the ball-shaped members in thesockets after being pushed thereinto, while permitting rotation of saidmembers in said sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 340,583Switzerland Oct. 15, 1959

5. A MASSAGING DEVICE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACEDSOCKETS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BALLSHAPED MEMBERS, SAID BODY HAVINGUPSTANDING ANNULAR FLANGES FORMING PORTIONS OF THE BODY AND FORMEDINTEGRALLY THEREWITH AND PROVIDING ENCLOSURES FOR SAID SOCKETS, ANDBALL-SHAPED MEMBERS DISPOSED IN SAID SOCKETS AND RETAINED IN SAIDSOCKETS BY THE TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES, SAID TERMINAL PORTIONSOF SAID FLANGES BEING SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT TO PERMIT THEBALL-SHAPED MEMBERS TO BE PUSHED INTO THE SOCKETS THROUGH SAID TERMINALPORTIONS OF SAID FLANGES, AND TO HOLD THE BALL-SHAPED MEMBERS IN THESOCKETS AFTER BEING PUSHED THEREINTO, WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION OF SAIDMEMBERS IN SAID SOCKETS.